Finding Herself
by Once Upon A Star Trek
Summary: Renowned trauma surgeon Dr. Zambrano is thrust into a world of fairytales and magic. On the way, she not only finds her identity, but also love and companionship. X-Over to Miami Medical, ReginaXChris
1. The Doctor

"You're a total pro, Eva", Doctor Warren said. Eva just scoffed. Sure, she was "professional" and didn't let personal stuff interfere with her job, but on the other hand, she literally had no social life. The surgeon harbored a dark secret.

Some years ago, something had happened to her which had taken away all of her memories. She didn't remember what had happened to her, or if she had someone, she didn't even remember who she was. All she had was violent dreams and flashbacks that didn't make any sense to her and she didn't want to burden anyone with that. There was one particularly horrifying vision that haunted her, but she had been able to deduce a name from it. From the way and the setting in which it was said, she was sure her name was Eva. Anything else would be revolting.

There was no reported missing person that matched her description and her memories had never come back in all these years, so she had given up at some point. She had decided to make herself a new life, choosing a last name that sounded right to her ears. Thus, Eva Zambrano was born. And here she was, top trauma surgeon in the country working in a trauma hospital in Miami, Florida.

She had confided in few people; her boss Proctor and her colleague Chris Deleo knew. It didn't impact her work performance, she was always professional. Judging from what her friend Serena had just said, maybe she was too professional. Eva had discovered a running bet on when she and Chris would hook up. And he was obviously in on it, too. The doctor had never even realized he had feelings for her, she was just too closed off from anything resembling emotional involvement. Her focus was on saving lifes, hearts were her specialty. If you were on the verge of death, Doctor Zambrano's operating table was the place you wanted to be.

Pagers went off. There had been a severe car crash with multiple victims, four minutes out.

* * *

Eva was just checking the IV of a young man that had come in from the crash, his name was Henry Mills, when he woke up. He blinked a couple of times before spotting her. "Mom?" It must have been the meds, Eva reasoned. "Your mom is in the waiting area. I can let her in as soon as I'm done with your check-up." She decided to get the woman who had come in with Henry the moment she left this room. "No, that's Ma. You're Mom", Henry insisted. "I think there is a misunderstanding here. I'm Doctor Zambrano, I'm patching you up." She made a mental note to do a brain scan as she was positive this man could not be her son.

When she had been found at the side of the road, she had been taken to the hospital where they had done every possible test to try to find out what had happened to her. In those tests, they had been able to roughly pinpoint her age to about 36. They had literally tested everything. That's how she had learned that she had never had, and would never be able to have, children.

Frowning confused, she went to the waiting area to get Henry's mother, who very oddly didn't share his last name. "Your son has woken up and would like to see you, Miss Swan", she said to the blonde.

That voice! That tone in which it said "Miss Swan"!

"Regina?"


	2. The Queen

Oh great, another one mistaking her for someone else! Just her luck, that the one time someone seemed to recognize her, it had to be a misunderstanding. Eva shook her head. "Doctor Zambrano. Let me show you to your son."

As soon as Emma was through the door, she mouthed to Henry: "We found her." He grinned. "I know."

When the major had disappeared, the two had searched for Regina everywhere, but they had had to give up after many weeks. However, years later, a problem had arisen and the Blue Fairy had told them that they needed Regina to solve it. Thus, the two had taken off again. They had just wanted to take a break in Florida. Which was lucky, because if it hadn't been for the drunk driver that hit them and caused a mass crash in the middle of a highway, they would have never found her.

"Alright, what is going on?", Eva asked the duo. "I am positive that this is just a messy mix-up. There is probably someone out there who looks like me and you're just confusing us-" Her protest was interrupted by Emma. "No one says Miss Swan like you do, Regina. Henry, try it." Henry caught Eva's hand and pressed a kiss on it. All he could do was hope that true love's kiss would bring his mom's memories back. The doctor gasped. "Henry!"

For a few seconds, nothing happened. But then, the onslaught of memories hit her all at once and all she could do was gasp in shock. Overwhelmed and as if stung, she backed away against the wall on the other side of the room where her knees gave out and she hugged herself and rocked back and forth.

In her panic retreat, she had knocked over a supply tray and the noise alerted Doctor Deleo who had just been passing by. Chris immediately stormed into the room to spot his friend Eva on the ground in a panic attack with a strange energy swirling around her. Before he could say anything, she got to her feet and ran outside in a desperate need to breathe. "What happened here?", he asked the blonde woman sitting on the bed when he found his voice again. Emma gave him an awkward smile. "She got her memories back."

That should have been a relief to the man, he had always hoped that his friend would find her identity sometime. "And what was that thing around Eva?", he prodded on. "Do you believe in magic? In fairytales?", Henry asked, which threw him off just a little. He was young at heart and had never lost his childhood beliefs, but could they really be real? He was a doctor, he believed in science, but inside, he was still a child. "Well, after that light show Eva just pulled off, I don't know what to believe exactly." "Well", the blonde sighed. "Magic is real and Eva" - she made air quotes with her fingers - "is one of the most powerful practitioners out there." Holy crap, this day was crazy.

* * *

Chris knew his friend's hiding spot on the roof very well and of course, he found her there. She was sitting at the edge with her back to him. The energy around her had grown into a full-blown tornado. She didn't even see him, but had obviously detected him anyhow, when she desperately shouted: "Stay away from me! I'm poison!" But Chris didn't listen and came closer. She spun around. Now he could see the panic in her brown eyes and the flames in her hands which she had been trying to put out. Not caring, he closed the distance and pulled her into a hug, which helped quenching the fire. "It's okay. I'm here, Eva." She cringed and tensed in his arms.

"Could you not call me Eva, please? Now that I remember, I know that it was actually the name of my late husband's first wife." She shivered in revulsion. "I had these flashbacks and I thought it was my name he was grunting." Every time Leopold had forced her to bed, he had wished she was Eva. Now she had made his wish come true. Her magic knew she needed a bucket just before she herself did. "It's okay, I'm here for you", Chris repeated while stroking her back. "You shouldn't be. I'm a demon, a monster, a … mass murderer." She cried. It was all too much for her to keep in and she found herself spilling everything like a volcano that was finally erupting.

"I … ripped out hearts. Just grabbed into their chests and yanked them out. Crushed them to dust. Oh god, if my patients knew who was fixing their hearts, the evil queen herself! I'm the vilest of creatures on Earth! Oh I was so foolish to think I could just forget everything and life a happy life. What I was and what I will always be is the Evil Queen, the monster, the killer."

Chris was still shocked by this whole thing. But if there was one thing he knew, it was that he would always be by his friend's side. "You know what, I don't think so. I simply don't believe you. I think I believe you about this apparent magic thing, but I will not believe that you are a bad person, E-" He stopped himself, understanding what she had implied earlier. "Regina," she supplied quietly. "Regina, when I look at you, I don't see a monster. I see a superhero who saves lives on a daily basis. I don't care who you were. I care who you are. And if being a monster was truly in your essence like you said, you would have been a monster even without your memories. But you aren't. Whatever made you the way you used to be, it was part of your environment and the loss of your memories took the effects away and let you become who you really are." Regina snorted.

"I lost my memories on purpose, so that I wouldn't hurt anyone anymore. When I was young, my mother killed the love of my life in in front of me and forced me into an abusive marriage. To the man who grunted his dead first wife's name when he forced himself on me. I was supposed to be the mother of the girl that had spilled my secret to my mother. I spiraled into darkness and did all these horrible things on a quest for revenge. I killed and tortured and burned whole villages to the ground, brought death and destruction on an entire realm.

I ended up casting a curse that brought us all to a small town in Maine, where I stopped time and made them live with altered memories. Years later, I adopted a little boy. He was my motivation to claw my way out of the darkness. You've seen him, he's the young man in the room you found me running out of. The woman is his birth mother, he went to find her when he was ten because he thought I couldn't love him. She broke the curse and I've been redeeming myself, even found another love. But he was killed, jumped in front of me to save my life.

I was so afraid I would revert back to my evil ways and would hurt my family and my friends. I had just finally found my way to the light and I didn't trust myself to not fall back into the darkness. That's why I left town. There was a curse on the town line that would take the original memories of anyone who crossed it. I created personas for everyone but myself under the curse, so when I crossed, I was left with no memories. My plan obviously worked pretty well, I got to start over without my baggage. But now, it's all back, as if it happened just yesterday." She broke down in his arms again.

When she had herself under control again, she sniffled. "Thank you for listening. I feel marginally better now that I have told my whole story to someone. You must think I'm crazy, don't you? Wanna grab me a straight-jacket from the supply room?" Chris smiled. "Yes, I think you're crazy.

Crazy to believe I don't have your back. Besides, I know what I saw with my own eyes." Only then did Regina realize: "Now that I think about it, I shouldn't have been able to use my magic here. This is called the "Land without magic" for a reason. I shouldn't have been able to do what I did."

Back in the room, Emma explained: "The balance between light and dark is disrupted and now they are battling for dominance. It's affecting all the realms, tearing at the seams and ripping them apart. That's why there's magic here, all the lines are being distorted. And it's why we need you in Storybrooke, Regina."

* * *

"Proctor, how much vacation do I have available right now?", Regina approached her team chief. "Two weeks, why?" "I'll take 'em." "What's the rush?", the older doctor asked. "I got my memories back." The chief just nodded knowingly and saw his best surgeon off.

Regina took Henry and Emma to her little apartment close to the hospital to grab a few things. She packed a bag with a few shirts and jeans and necessities. When she opened the door, Chris was leaning against her car. "What are you doing here, Chris?", she asked, surprised to see him at her house instead of at the hospital. "Accompanying you. You're my best friend, I wouldn't let you deal with this drama on your own." That elicited a smile from her.

"Do you think this is a good idea?", Emma asked, just a little apprehensively. "You know what happened the last time we let strangers into Storybrooke; you were tortured, Henry was kidnapped and the town was almost destroyed; right?" "I know, Emma. But you knew something was off about Tamara. You have the best sense for people. What do your senses tell you about Chris?"

The four people got into Regina's car, since Emma's yellow bug was totalled in the crash, and drove towards Storybrooke. Since there was magic, they only drove until they were alone on the road and Emma poofed them to the town line.


	3. Welcome To Storybrooke

As soon as they passed the sign, Mal and Zelena came into view, as well as Snow and Charming. They got out of the car and Regina immediately found herself in Zelena's arms. "I've missed you so much, sis!" "You did it! Finally!," Snow smiled at Emma relieved.

"Well, we wouldn't have found her if we hadn't been hit by a drunk driver in Miami where Henry was hurt so bad he was brought to a trauma hospital", Emma said. "Yeah, mom was my doctor. She saved my life. Without magic, but with medicine. You are the best, mom." Regina accepted the hug, then pulled back. "Oh Henry. I'm not a good mother. Or a good mayor. Or a good person in general. I left you and this town without a word, hoping I would forget my whole life. I'm sorry." Unable to keep it together any longer, she disappeared behind the trees.

Chris followed her with his eyes. "She's so different", he said. "One moment, she was this fun, lively woman. Yes, she was closed off, but she was always happy to snark at me or joke. And the next moment, she is so...broken. It's so hard to remember that she is literally the same person." Emma put a hand on his shoulder. "She has been walking through hell for most of her life. Ever since I've known her, she's been borderline depressed. Sometimes, you could even scratch the borderline. We met her mother a while ago. And judging from that, it must have started in her childhood. I think getting away from the baggage for a while was really good for her."

"And who might you be?", David asked. "Chris Deleo, nice to meet you. I'm one of Ev-" (he still needed to remind himself every time) "Regina's colleagues. I'm here because she's my friend." "Don't worry, he's Emma-approved and informed about everything", Henry grinned. "Well, nice to meet you, Chris", Snow said and held out her hand for him to shake it. "Welcome to Storybrooke." She immediately liked this man. It went without saying for him to accompany his friend - whom he had just discovered to be involved in what anyone else would call supernatural humbug - to some weird town hundreds of kilometers away. Snow was immensely glad that her stepmother had found someone who was there for her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mal and Zelena had followed Regina. They found her sitting on the log where she had always sat with Robin and immediately pulled her into a group hug. With her head resting on Mal's shoulder, Regina whispered: "It hurts like it all just happened yesterday." "We got you, sis. I promise, we've got you", Zelena soothed her little sister. "Sorry for bringing you back here, we just need you so desperately that we had no choice." "It must be really hopeless if you have to rely on the evil queen", Regina snorted.

"What is the problem? Emma told me the lines are distorting because the balance between light and dark is disrupted. But how did that happen and what am I supposed to do?" With a pitiful smile, Mal explained. "It started with Hades leaving the Underworld. That tipped the scales and the two energies have been battling for control ever since. It only got really bad this last year. The blue moth said to get you because without you, there's no way we can correct this." "Well, then let's ask the moth what I am supposed to do." The mayoral mask came back to her fairly easily and with a carefully trained look of confidence, she returned to the others.

* * *

They went to the mansion first. "No matter what, Henry always had a sliver of hope that you would come back someday. He wouldn't let anyone touch the house apart from sprinkling a little magic on it to keep it clean", Emma said. "Well, thanks. We'll bring our things in and then let's go see Blue", Regina replied neutrally.

Chris whistled at the sight of the pristine mansion. "This is your place, wow!" "Yes, I liked my luxury." Regina showed Chris to the guest room and dropped her own bag off in her bedroom. She shivered at how cold the whole house seemed. It didn't seem like a home anymore. "Are you sure you want to come with me? I could bring you to the diner." Chris' stomach took that as his sign to let out a growl louder than an ogre. "I think the diner it is", he grinned.

After dropping her friend off at Granny's, Regina decided to test her magic. She would transport to the convent where they had agreed to meet up. She materialized safely in front of the convent. Well, it was just like riding a bike.

* * *

"So, what is it you need me for, of all people?", she asked the Blue fairy as greeting. "There you are. It's good to see you, Your Majesty", the fairy smiled. Woah! What in the world had happened to the moth? "The situation must be graver than I thought if even you are happy I'm here. What do I need to do?" "It took me a long time to come up with this solution, but it's the only way. We will perform an ancient ritual to restore the balance and save the universe."

Reul Ghorm revealed a piece of parchment. "The ritual calls for you as a medium, Regina. Because of your special type of magic." Emma cut in, a little confused since she was supposed to be the savior of this town. "If it's just about magic, why not have Zelena or me do it? Or Rumple or anyone in town?" "You and Zelena will be needed as well. This is about inherent magic, which the three of you possess. Emma, your magic is purely light. Zelena, yours is all dark. But Regina was born with light and dark magic. If I knew anyone else, I wouldn't have said we need her. But as it is, she is the only one who can do this."

She continued the explanation. "We will need the strongest relics of light and dark magic, which would be the Dark One's dagger and a fairy wand, you can use mine. The two of you will use these relics and channel your energy into the queen, who will balance them." "Sounds easy, let's do it!", Emma said, but Blue held her back. There were preparations to be made, she set the fairies up to do it and told the people involved to be by the well in five hours.

"What's the price?", Regina asked when everyone but her had left. "All magic comes with one." Blue gave her a sad smile. "This ritual is very powerful magic and thus requires a steep price. There are recordings of the ritual being attempted. The medium never survived." Totally indifferent, as if she had just listened to the weather forecast, Regina said: "Okay." The fairy somberly bid her goodbye. "You have about five hours before we meet by the well. Use them."

* * *

Regina went to the diner to pick up Chris. He had struck up a conversation with Henry. They seemed to like each other. Regina sighed. "One cheeseburger, please." Henry spun around. "Woah mom! What happened to you?" As Eva, she had had totally different eating habits. And now, that she had five hours left, she would indulge herself and not try to go back to rabbit food.

"So, how did it go?", both wanted to know, but Henry asked first. "We're attempting a balancing ritual in five hours. The fairies are preparing everything. Blue seemed confident it will work." Regina took in her son, her eyes scanned every part of him. "What's wrong, mom?" "Nothing, it's just, you've grown so much."

She was determined to make the best out of her last five hours, so she talked to Henry and Chris, they showed the man the town. When they passed town hall, Regina asked her son, who was in office now. "Your assistant Julia took over. Grandma was so swamped the last time she took office for weeks, she preferred someone who knew you to do it. Julia is good, she's just not you, mom." "Wait, you were the mayor here?", Chris asked. "Yes. For three decades. I'm a lot older than I look. And then I just left without a note."

This time, Regina wanted to do better, so she wrote letters to her team in Miami to announce her resignation that she would ask Chris to deliver. Of course, she didn't write that she would use magic and kill herself, she just wrote that she wanted to stay with her family she had just found again. She also visited Zelena and coddled her not so little niece. The whole time, she went over the incantations she would have to say in her head, hoping she wouldn't fail.


	4. The Ritual

They got to the well with fifteen minutes to spare, Henry and Chris refusing to leave her side. She didn't want either of them to see this. But no matter how much she tried to make them leave, they wouldn't. "Why don't you want us here, mom? We want to support you", Henry said for the umpteenth time. Regina sighed and decided to be honest. "Because this is going to kill me. And I don't want you to have to see this."

"What? No!", Chris shouted. "How can you just say this like it means nothing? And how can you willingly throw away your life within hours of regaining your identity? I don't understand it!" "I need to do this, Chris. The entire universe, not just this realm, is at risk of annihilation. Blue doesn't know of anyone else with the type of magic that is needed to stop this. The only way to save all these lives is for me to do this. I want to be better, I want to earn forgiveness. But how can I deserve it if I put my life over everyone else's? It won't be pleasant and I just want to spare you from this sight."

But Chris was stubborn. "I work in Trauma, there's little I haven't seen yet. I'm staying." Knowing that she didn't stand a chance against him when he had made up his mind, Regina gave in. "Okay, thank you. Could you do me a favor? And deliver the letters I wrote to Miami?" Their eyes met and conveyed all the feelings between the two. He nodded. He would do her this one last favor.

* * *

It was time. "I love you so much, Henry. And I'm sorry for leaving you like that. I was just so scared I would revert back and I couldn't risk hurting you, so I had to make sure I couldn't hurt anyone." Regina wrapped Henry in her arms. She wanted to hold him just this one last time and cherish it for the last few moments of her life. "It's okay, mom. I love you, too."

Taking a deep breath, Regina stepped into the pentagram on the ground. Muttering the incantation from the book, she folded her hands, raised them above her head and a quarter of a circle to each side. With her arms to both sides, she waited with closed eyes.

Zelena and Emma made eye contact. "On three", Zelena said, while giving Emma a sign to go on two. "One … two." They rammed the wand and the dagger into Regina's sides, their tips met in her heart. She whimpered in shock and pain and her eyes flew open. Mal's arms held her upright so she didn't fall.

Then, Emma and Zelena began channeling their magic through the artifacts and into her. Regina was lifted into the air, while one hand shot dark and the other one light magic towards the sky. She was the scale that had to balance the two beams that were shooting upwards.

Her world was taken over by pain, she felt as if she was on fire. She wanted it to end so badly, but she couldn't stop now, everyone depended on her. Inhumane sounds and screams came out of her mouth and sent shivers down everyone's spine. "It's working", Blue shouted, "she is restoring the balance! Just a bit longer!"

Something splashed onto the ground. "What is that? Is that? Skin?", Emma almost threw up. The brunette was burning up so hot, she was literally melting. It was probably about an hour, but to Regina, it felt like three eternities. When the balance was restored, she fell from the sky like a ragdoll whose strings had been cut off.

* * *

Mal immediately rushed to her. A hissing sound was heard when her hands were on the queen's forehead and the dragon stopped everyone else with her hand. "Don't come any closer. She overloaded and is so hot she even burns me, and I have a higher heat tolerance due to being a dragon. I need to cool her down somehow."

She immediately started waving her hands over the broken body, cooling her friend down. Regina's breathing was shallow and irregular. She was too weak to cry in pain, otherwise she would have. She was trembling however and trying hard to not give in. It didn't seem like enough. She was fading away. "Don't you dare leave me like that, little one!", Mal shouted. But she did.

* * *

When Regina opened her eyes, she saw white everywhere. "Welcome to Mount Olympus", someone said. It was Zeus himself, and with him were other people. "Daddy!" Next thing she knew she found herself in her father's arms. However, he was not the only one who had come to greet her in death. Over her father's shoulder, she spotted Cora, who had tears in her eyes. "Mother", she greeted the woman. "I'm so, so proud of you, my daughter." There it was, the approval from her mother she had longed for for so long. "We all are." "Daniel?" And there he was, her stable boy, in the flesh, grinning at her. "I've missed you." "I missed you too, Daniel. So much." She hugged him dearly. "I know. But I'm happy you could finally move on. I did, too." Next to him stood none other than Marian. "Are you joking or does fate have a sense of humor after all?", Regina laughed. "The second. Believe me, I laughed, too, when I got here." Her mouth hung open and her eyes were misting over as she turned towards the origin of the voice.

There he stood, her Robin, her soulmate, her love. "But how? Hades said you were obliterated." "Hades was a villain who wanted to hurt people. He wanted to break you down with his words because he knew he couldn't tear you down physically. Don't believe everything a villain says. They like to taunt." He winked. Their lips found each other and neither one of them wanted to let go. "I love you so much, Robin." She pulled away.

"But how am I here? I was prepared to be Cruella's eternal drinking buddy in hell. I've brought so much death and hurt and suffering, I belong down there!" "And you have saved so many lives. You have finally become the hero you were always supposed to be", Zeus interjected. "And besides, if I count correctly, you have a positive body count. You've just saved the universe and everyone in it. And even if we didn't count that, as a doctor you saved more than you made to suffer as queen. You have found your true destiny and have earned your place here. And thus, you do belong here, when your time has come."

"When my time has come? I'm dead, isn't this my time?", the former queen asked confused. "No, your time won't come for a long time. You have to fight. Your friends and your family need you. Fight your way back to them, your spot will be reserved for you."

Robin cupped her cheek. "Fight for Henry. And your niece and sister. Would you tell Zelena that I'm happy and proud of how she takes care of my daughter, please? You have to fight to get back to them. And fight for your new friend from Miami."

"I approve of this Chris, just so you know", Cora piped up. "Mother, it's not like that-", Regina shook her head. "Tell him that." The Queen of Hearts waved her hand and a cloud transmitted the events from the world of the living. They saw Chris trying to get to her unmoving body and Emma having to hold him back, trying to reason with him that he was risking his own life just to reach her. "In my opinion, he is the best boyfriend for you. No offense", she nodded to Daniel and Robin, "but this Chris has some big advantages. A good education, a stable job, really nice humor, and most importantly: he's alive. So take your chance." Both Robin and Daniel nodded. "We will welcome you, but now you need to go. Until we meet again." They all faded away. Or rather, she was.

* * *

Regina struggled hard to wake up. Everything was foggy, but began to take shape slowly. Mal's face was over hers. "She came back!", the blonde witch shouted in joy. Yes, she had come back. But so had the unbearable agony. "She's already down to dragon-tolerable temperatures. Emma, Zelena, get ready to help me as soon as I tell you it's safe."

'Don't give up!', Regina said to herself, 'you can't give up!' They were counting on her! They all trusted in her strength to fight this, she couldn't bear to disappoint them yet again. But it was too hard, she lost the battle a second time. She slipped away once more and found herself back on Mount Olympus.

* * *

Looking into all their faces, she broke into tears. She had disappointed them. Again. "I'm sorry, I can't fight anymore." "Yes, you can, my love. I believe in you and so should you. I know it's hard. But you can do it", Robin said while taking her hand. "You're so strong."

* * *

When Regina came back once again, Emma and Zelena were over her, she was cooled down enough. While Mal stabilized her temperature, the other two witches were frantically trying to bring her limbs back in shape. Her left leg had been reduced to a puddle and her hands were clumps. All she could do was lay there and try to breathe through the pain as the others tried to save her. It took excruciatingly long, but then the pain was gone all of a sudden.

Maybe she had failed a third time, Regina thought. But she was still in Mal's lap. "Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear me, my little flamebringer?!", Mal almost shouted at her. "Thank you, my friend." Her throat was still raw, so her thanks came out as a low whisper. "Listen sis, if you ever do something like that again, I will have to personally kill you!", Zelena threw herself at her. Regina accepted the gesture. Leaning her head on her sister's shoulder, she whispered in her ear: "Sis, I have a message for you. Robin wants you to know he approves of your parenting." The redhead gaped. "So he is…" "Yes", Regina grinned. "Hades lied, Robin is up there on Mount Olympus, waiting for me."

The three witches helped her get up and Henry barrelled into her. He was so tall, she almost lost her balance. "I knew you could do it, mom!" "So, congratulations on saving the world", Chris smiled. "Seriously, that was the craziest thing I've ever seen. And the bravest. And the most magical. Have I said the craziest yet?"

* * *

Granny and Ruby had organized the obligatory party for another crisis managed. Chris was comfortable around all the fairytale characters and apparently left such a good impression that people tried to recruit him for the Storybrooke hospital. He politely declined, reasoning that he belonged to Miami. And so did Regina. People were disappointed that she was leaving again, but she just felt so right in Florida. It had made her the person she wanted to be. So when the two weeks were up, the two left Storybrooke with the promise to visit.


	5. Leaving Storybrooke

Chris had informed Proctor of the basics of what had happened, that she had found her identity and her family, obviously leaving out anything fairytale or magic related. On the first day back, Regina was just headed to her locker to change, but was greeted by shouts.

"Welcome back!", Serena exclaimed. Only then did Regina take in the room. A huge banner was hung over the windows, reading Welcome back, Regina! "I thought you'd prefer to go by your name", Chris said from behind her. He had followed her and stayed one step behind her on purpose. She drew her friend into a hug, then all the others.

Pagers beeped and the cake was abandoned on the table, they would get to it later. They had lives to save.

* * *

Henry visited fairly often and so did Zelena who brought Robin with her. When Regina had a vacation, she always drove up to Storybrooke. This time around, she wouldn't abandon her family again. Chris came with her many times. They had gotten together pretty shortly after their return to Florida. It had been a difficult talk. They had had a drink in Regina's flat that now looked more lively than ever, after she had brought some of her belongings with her.

* * *

"This has been a totally crazy two weeks", Chris said as he sat down on the couch. "I like crazy. And you're a total badass. I...I have feelings for you. I've been wanting to ask you out for so long, but always chickened out. But after what happened, I don't wanna wait anymore. I love you." Regina gulped and shook her head.

"I...I have been having feelings for you, too. But I never acted upon them. First, there was this mess with my lost memories, and I wanted to stay professional on the job anyway. And now, knowing what I am…" Chris' heart broke for his friend, who still called herself a what and not a who. "...We can't do this. Everyone I care about gets killed.

Daniel was killed for loving me. My father died because I loved him. The price for the curse was his heart. He was the only person who was always by my side and I killed him. My mother died by my hand as well. I was so desperate for a scrap of affection from my literally heartless mother, I let myself be manipulated into putting her heart back by the girl who started this whole mess. She had cursed it. For about ten seconds, I had the mother I always wanted, before she died in my arms. Robin sacrificed himself for me. Only Henry hasn't died yet. He only ran away and it broke my heart. I don't know if I can do this again. I can't lose another person I love. I can't lose you." The words just tumbled out of her mouth.

Chris grinned like a fool. "You love me and I love you, that's the only thing that's important. I wanna take the risk. We're trauma surgeons, we see lives snuffed out suddenly all the time. Life is short and I want to make the most of it. I want to be with you. And if something happens to me, you're a doctor, you'll save me. I trust you, Regina." Regina smiled shyly.

"You know, my mother approves of you. When I was dead, I saw her and all those I love. She gave us her blessing in front of Daniel and Robin, I was so mortified." Chris grinned. "Well, if your mother says so, let's do this. Please, give us a chance." He looked at her with puppy eyes and in that moment, Regina swore he was a male Emma Swan. "Okay."

* * *

It was Christmas, about two and a half years after the whole mess. And it was the first time that Regina and Chris drove up to Storybrooke as an engaged couple. Chris had asked the question on her fake birthday. When she didn't have any memories, she had just written the current date on the papers since in a way, that day had been Eva Zambrano's birthday. It had been the birthday of the person she had wanted to be and thus, it was an emotional moment when he had asked her on that day. Zelena squealed the moment she spotted the ring. "Congrats, sis!"

* * *

They celebrated the wedding in Storybrooke the next summer. Because as Chris had put it: this would always be a part of who she was. Plus, the magic would make the wedding preparations a lot easier.

It was a gorgeous July day, when they exchanged their vows. Town hall had been magically prepped. It was held in an organic mix between the worlds to give the pair a fairytale wedding that was still rooted in the outside world. Chris' family and friends had flown up to Maine as well as the couple's trauma team. They were all in awe of how awesome everything looked. Serena had even asked Regina who had been their wedding planner. But what had she been supposed to tell her? That the wedding had been planned by Snow White's family, that Red Riding Hood's grandmother was catering and that the man officiating them was actually Jiminy Cricket? So she went with naming Magic Inc as the responsible company. Which was not too far from the truth.

The groom stood by the altar waiting for his bride. Then, the beginning of the wedding march announced her entrance. He couldn't take her eyes off her the whole way. She was dressed Enchanted Forest style, in a breathtaking white gown. Her hair which she had decided to grow out again was styled and curly. Henry was by her side, looking handsome in his black suit. He handed her over to Chris and took his spot before winking at him. During the whole ceremony, they lost themselves in each other's eyes. Then came the vows. Chris went first.

"Regina. You are my best friend, my favorite colleague. I wouldn't have been able to endure Trauma without you there to snark and joke with me. You always call me out on my crap and keep me straight when I need to get myself together. After everything you've been through, I understand you've built high walls around your heart. And I'm so glad you let me look behind these walls and let me in. We belong to each other. For now and forever."

"Chris. You stayed by my side, no matter how crazy it got. You were there for me when every sane person would have run far away. You know about the things I've done in my past and yet, you continue to cherish and love me me. Thank you for staying true to your promise and staying. I feel safe when I'm with you. It feels like everything led me to you."

After the usual pledge of love in good and bad times and exchanging the rings, they were allowed to kiss. With a snap of Regina's hand behind his head, the ceiling became transparent and fireworks lit up the sky.


End file.
